Supposing the following scenario:
Company A asks company B to produce an IPad App for them. Company A only wants to use it for themselves on a very limited amount of IPads (less than 100). Company A is not necessarily interested in offering it on the app store.

How can company B distribute the app (sell it) to company A? It could install the App on the iPads via ad hoc provisioning profile, but this is only meant for testing and the app can't be used once the profile expires.
How can B legally install this app on the iPads without the app expiring after one year?

When using the app store, is there an option to sell the app only to this company, or to specific users via the app store, when the companies are not located in the U.S. (I heard about B2B distribution which can only be used in the U.S.)

Would the enterprise distribution be the option to choose? But then company A must have an IOS developer enterprise program ticket, so that it can install the app on its iPads, and not company B, right? Yet company B is the developer here... Or would it be legal, if company B had the IOS developer enterprise program ticket, installed the app on some iPads and sold the iPads to company A?

2 Answers
2

Thank you, please see my edit above, I don't know whether company A or company B must own the enterprise distribution ticket, since the iPads belong to company A, but company B developed them...
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JayArJun 4 '12 at 17:12

Company A would have the developer program. Company A would then have to provide Company B with the appropriate distribution certificate to sign the app with prior to delivering the binary.
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Dan FJun 4 '12 at 17:14

Ok, is it also legal for B to have the developer program, install the app on some devices and sell them to A?
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JayArJun 4 '12 at 17:20

That I am unsure of, I do not know the ins and outs of the legalities behind the enterprise program. To me, the simplest thing to do would be to do things as I described above.
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Dan FJun 4 '12 at 17:24

Is it correct that A needs to pay for the enterprise program every year (300$)? Does the app expire if the enterprise program expires?
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JayArJun 4 '12 at 18:33

Note: I've worked on several proprietary apps that we simply released through the app store at a price that would prevent others from purchasing it. It's the easiest way for the client's employees to get the app on their device and it has resulted in new business for us when others have seen what we've done.

Thank you, is company B allowed to sell those iPads with the app installed to company A? I really don't know cause Apple restricts on so many levels
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JayArJun 4 '12 at 17:16

The second option seems a bit strange, but if you're lucky someone buys the app for a ridiculous amount of money
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JayArJun 4 '12 at 17:41

It is a bit strange, but apple only started shifting some focus from consumers to businesses (and B2B) in the last couple of years. There still isn't a "perfect" way to do it. The enterprise program doesn't work so well when you have multiple company A's wanting to use the app. It's still not an app for the general public, but it's still easier to just put it in the app store.
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sc0rp10nJun 4 '12 at 17:56

And it seems a lot cheaper through the app store. I mean A would have to pay 300$ per year for being able to use its own app, it sounds ridiculous if you ask me... What if A is just a a small company that only wants this one app. The enterprise program is overkill for this.
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JayArJun 4 '12 at 18:35